Re: RC: Squirrels

[Maureen Mathisen <blueoak@snowcrest.net>]

Hi Kathy,

I know your area.  I did the Mt. Diablo Ride several years ago.(a couple
of times).  Too bad about your cats.  We have coyotes too, but they
don't seem to get them much.(I live in Red Bluff off I5 near Redding).

The "bombs" I am referring  to are a sulfur bomb.  They are cheapest at
the Agriculture Dept. but you can get them for a little more at feed
stores or places like that.  It takes two people to do a good job, and
try NOT to inhale any smoke.  You light the fuse on the  bomb, shove it
into the hole, stuff paper in after it, and dig the dirt in as fast as
possible, tamping it good and keeping the smoke IN the hole.  Also watch
for any other holes where smoke starts out--they are the escape holes
and must be plugged with dirt immediately also.  They're called"Gopher
Bombs" but are used for Ground Squirrels too.  They range in price from
abut 85 cents to a little over a dollar.  I felt they were safer for the
dogs, cats and horses than poisoned grain.  They aren't perfect, but
they seem to have made less holes over the years.(Some years it seems
that there are more "insolent" ground squirrels than other years. 
Several times we have found the cartridges thrown out of the hole by the
ground squirrels.  It really reminds me of Caddy Shack, the old movie.)

catnixon@juno.com wrote:
> 
> When I said i used poison, it was stick stuff from the feedstore, and I
> put it in holes under the barn (big joke except it did kill the rats and
> mice)  I only have 1 1/2 acres,
> and the holes are very concentrated for a small colony maybe 6-8 (not
> sure)  The da-
> mage they do as far as digging is unreal.  they are undermining a section
> of my fence
> besides the barn which I am sure is their main base.  What kind of bombs
> are you
> referring to?  Thanks for your input.  I no longer have barn cats as the
> coyotes got
> them a few years ago, besides everyone elses that they could catch.  We
> live very
> near Mt. Diablo in the Bay Area in California.  Meow======kathy
> On Tue, 11 May 1999 17:55:53 -0700 Maureen Mathisen
> <blueoak@snowcrest.net> writes:
> >Hi Kathy,
> >
> >I too am an animal lover, but the ground squirrel  holes are the bain
> >of
> >my life!! Alos, they are not just bad for their legs!   I had a
> >beautiful BLACK purebred Arabian filly at four years old put her leg
> >in
> >one and break it in three places.  She  had to be put to sleep.  It
> >has
> >always stayed with me.  EVERY spring(I feel like "Caddy Shack"  I
> >"bomb"
> >their holes. ) I somehow feel this is safer than poison, and a little
> >more humane.  It is NOT a quick fix!  I have done it for years,
> >spending
> >close to 50-80 bucks a season.  My holes have gone from 85(YES we
> >counted them) to l8 this spring ,Over a campaign of ten or more
> >years/Some people say it doesn't work, but if you are STUBBORN like me
> >and keep redoing and checking(YOu can't do it after the pasture gets
> >dry
> >as it can start a fire) and try to watch the smoke for their "escape
> >holes" it does work.....ain"t easy!  Maureen
> >
> >catnixon@juno.com wrote:
> >>
> >> Does anyone out there have a solution for getting rid of ground
> >> squirrels.  With all the
> >> building around us, the ground squirrels have taken up home at my
> >place.
> >> They are
> >> digging holes everywhere, and are using under my barn for their
> >home.  I
> >> have tried
> >> bait from the feedstore, but it doesn`t seem to do the job.  My
> >neighbor
> >> suggested
> >> road flares as they work on gophers so she has heard.  Any ideas?
> >Kathy
> >>
> >> p.s.  I am an animal lover, but am worried one of the horses will
> >step in
> >> a hole and do
> >> severe injury to their legs.
> >>
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> ___________________________________________________________________
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